EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin remains irritated with wide receiver Hakeem Nicks' absence from a voluntary OTA for the second straight week.
Coughlin said he has not heard from Nicks, who also missed last week's OTA sessions.
"Am I disappointed? No, I'm glad," Coughlin said sarcastically. "Certainly I am [disappointed]. At one point Hakeem told me he was going to be here, and then he was not here. In the strictest interpretation, everyone knows it's a voluntary program."
Nicks did participate in workout sessions with the team earlier this offseason.
Fellow star receiver Victor Cruz also has not attended voluntary OTAs while he attempts to work out a long-term extension with the Giants.
Defensive ends Justin Tuck and Jason Pierre-Paul also were not in attendance Thursday. But Tuck is hosting a celebrity billiards charity event in the city on Thursday night.
Coughlin said both Tuck and Pierre-Paul let him know they were not coming on Thursday.
"I expect them both tomorrow," Coughlin said.
Nicks has not spoken about his absence, and Coughlin says his understanding is that the receiver has not been in touch recently with anybody else in the organization. Nicks is entering the final year of his contract, and the Giants hope to keep their former first-round pick signed long term.
In the meantime, Coughlin has had to go through OTAs without his top two receivers. Even though Nicks would likely be limited since he is coming off a minor knee scope in the offseason, Coughlin wants his receiver with the team.
Coughlin was asked how he balances the fact OTAs are voluntary with the fact he wants full attendance.
"How do I balance it? Not very well," he said. "It would be great to have all of our guys working and feeling good about the progress we're making as a team, and that type of thing. That's just from a coach's perspective.
"You deal with some of this pretty much on a yearly basis and it's a product of our system, and that's the way it is. I can complain all I want, but nevertheless, it is our system."